


"I think you're beautiful"

by virvatulilla



Series: 100 ways to say I love you - my OCs [6]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 22:22:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11541618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/virvatulilla/pseuds/virvatulilla
Summary: 100 ways to say I love you challenge 50. Mát/Alex





	"I think you're beautiful"

**Author's Note:**

> When the presumably only healer on the continent becomes mortally ill, there’s only so much you can do.

Alex sat beside the campfire looking over Mát for the fourth day in row. He hadn’t had time to sleep, barely had remembered to eat, and nothing he tried seemed to improve Mát’s condition. Right now Mát was sleeping next to the fire within Alex’s reach, and his breathing sounded difficult. Every time Mát’s breathing paused Alex was afraid he wouldn’t start breathing again.

For the umpteenth time Alex hoped it would have been him who had fallen sick. Mát would have known what to do. He would have known Alex could survive anything.

Mát’s breathing paused, and Alex held his breath until he drew another rasping breath.

The worst part was, neither of them knew what had caused Mát to become so sick. They had found a new, seemly uninhabited land only a few weeks ago, and anything could have caused Mát’s sickness. Something he had eaten, or touched, or inhaled, or something small that had stung him, or it could even be something hereditary. Alex had no idea, and since falling sick Mát had been in so much pain he hadn’t been able to give an opinion on what it could be.

Alex reached towards Mát to gently wrap a hand around his hand. “I wish there was something I could do,” he whispered, looking at Mát’s sleeping face. “If only I…” Alex trailed off. Four days of not sleeping started to weigh on his eyelids. Realizing it wouldn’t do anyone any good if he tried to force himself to stay awake longer Alex waved a hand to make the campfire die out. In the darkness he eased himself next to Mát, falling asleep almost immediately.

 

* * *

 

 

When Alex woke up in the morning – or rather, afternoon, Mát wasn’t there.

Alex jolted awake in a split second, springing to his feet and looking wildly around him. Where had he gone? Had someone snatched him? Was he– Alex couldn’t even think about that option. Mát was alive. He had to be.

For some reason or another Alex could faintly sense Mát’s presence. Or maybe it was just a random feeling, but Alex had long ago learned to trust those feelings. He turned towards the mountains looming in the distance. Mát was somewhere in that direction.

Alex didn’t waste time into getting into the mountains, but it took him a better part of two weeks to get there. Each passing day he was more worried about Mát, but each day the sense of his presence grew stronger, which had to mean he was getting closer.

On the thirteenth morning Alex saw something flying very high over the mountains. It looked like a bird, but something about it made Alex think it might be something else entirely.  _ If it’s not a bird but has bird-like wings, it must be…  _ Alex frowned.  _ What would a riade be doing here? _

It felt to him as if the riade was flying towards what it felt like where Mát was. Alex didn’t let doubt or distrust eat their way into his mind, he’d had enough of those on this trip already. Instead he started making his way towards the place where the riade seemed to be headed. It was somewhat difficult, because he didn’t have wings, but he walked as fast as he could, occasionally breaking into a run. The riade didn’t fly away from his sight, which made Alex think their purpose might have been to get him to follow.

The day was starting to turn into evening when Alex finally arrived at the place where the riade had landed. She stood at the mouth of a cave, big brown wings and tail neatly folded against her back. “My name is Noline. Follow me.”

As Noline disappeared into the cave Alex had little else choice but to follow. The cave – tunnel – was deep, and there was no other source of light than the small glowing stone Noline had in her hand, and the faintest wisp of yellow light coming from deeper in the cave. They were walking towards it, and moment after another the light grew brighter. Alex could feel Mát being close, and he wanted to run, but he held himself back. He also held his thoughts back, not wanting to think about worst-case scenarios when he was so close.  _ So close and yet it feels like I couldn’t be further away right now. _

When they arrived in the main cave where the light was coming from Alex stopped. The cave was so big that riades could easily fly inside it, and in the middle there was a temple.

“Which deity’s temple is this?” Alex asked, gaze wandering across the cave.

Noline glanced over her shoulder. “Empracione’s,” she said. “Your companion has been showing signs of a recovery since we brought him here.”

“That was a wise thing to do, I guess,” Alex said, “but you could have left a note.”

Noline’s wings poofed a little as she glanced over his shoulder again with a confused look. “We did,” she said. “Or did you stumble upon this place by chance?”

“Oh,” Alex said quietly. “I can still feel where he is.”

Noline nodded, and resumed leading Alex towards the temple in silence. The outside of the temple looked harsh and unfinished – quite the difference to the temples inhabited by others than riades – but Alex knew riades weren’t very particular about what their buildings looked like as long as they served their purpose.

Alex was surprised there was a slope path leading to the temple. When he asked Noline about them, the riade gave him another confused look and told him that it went without saying everyone should have equal access to a temple. To Alex that would have made more sense if coming to the cave where the temple was wouldn’t have required rock climbing, but he kept those thoughts to himself.

Noline led Alex to the room where Mát was, and it took all of Alex’s self-control that he didn’t just storm to Mát’s side and hug him to death. He looked like he was still unconscious, and a white-winged riade was sitting next to him.

“You can leave now,” the white-winged riade told Noline, and she took her leave. Alex stood in the doorway for a second longer before hurrying to Mát’s side. However, before Alex could touch him, the riade stopped him with the flick of a wing. “You should not touch him.”

“Why?” Alex demanded to know. “I’ve walked two weeks to find him, and I can’t even touch him now?”

The riade just looked at him. “He hasn’t healed yet,” he said, as if it was something Alex should have known. “This is a place where the sick are protected and where they come to heal. One should not meddle with the deities’ affairs.”

Alex sat down on the floor next to Mát with a sigh. “How long?” he asked.

“A day or two.”

Alex nodded. He could wait that long. He could  _ sleep _ that long after his journey. However, he wasn’t allowed to fall asleep just yet, because the riade had questions for him. “Where have I met you before?”

“You’re confusing me with someone else,” Alex muttered. “Because I have never seen you in my life.”

“No, I think  _ you’re  _ mistaken,” the riade insisted. “I’ve seen you before, I’m sure of it.”

Alex opened his eyes. “Look, no offense but would you shut up so I can sleep? I’m telling you, we have never met.”

“You were on Midenas,” the riade insisted still. “You saw the volcano die. The time when the deities were still among us.”

“I’m pretty sure neither of us was born that long ago,” Alex muttered.

“I was,” the riade said. “I’m one of the eternals, don’t you remember me? My name is Nerdies.”

“And I’m Ceralia Roneonwae.”

“No, you’re not,” Nerdies said. “She had white hair.”

Alex groaned. “Look, Nerdies, I’m going to sleep now,” he said. “Would you be so kind and leave me in peace?”

“If you put on a dark cloak you’d look just like Luxar.”

Alex sat up with an annoyed groan. “Literally  _ anyone _ would look like Luxar if they covered their entire body with a dark cloak. If you, presumably a riade that’s thousands of years old, can’t leave a weary traveler in peace and let him sleep, I assume you are nothing more than a pretentious asshole.”

After that Nerdies didn’t say anything, and Alex lied down. To his annoyance, however, he couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.

 

* * *

 

“Alex. Alex!”

Alex opened his eyes, and for a moment he didn’t know where he was. But what was more important than that was that Mát was leaning above him, expression full of relief. “I thought you’d never wake up,” he said. “I started to get a little worried.”

“You don’t get to say that,” Alex groaned as he sat up. “I’ve been worried sick about you for the past two weeks, and I thought you might– where are we?”

Mát tried to keep a straight face. “You were asleep for like, a couple thousands of years,” he said. “The riades brought us here when you wouldn’t wake up. This is a kind of a guest house I think?”

For a moment Alex wasn’t sure whether Mát was joking or not. “Tell me,” he said, biting the inside of his cheek to keep a straight face. “If I was asleep for that long, how are you still here?”

“I was reincarnated,” Mát said. “My desire to be with you when you finally awoke was so great that Luxar had no choice but to bring me back to life.”

Alex smiled. “If that’s the case, thank you,” he said. “Is Nerdies still here?”

“That white-winged riade? No, I think he left soon after I woke up. Why do you ask?”

“I’m hoping I don’t run into that asshole again.”

Mát tilted his head. “He seemed very nice to me,” he said.

“Well I guess everyone can be nice when they choose to do so,” Alex sighed. “How long did I actually sleep?”

Mát stood up. “About a day, I guess?” he said, walking to the room’s door. “Do you wanna go have a look around this temple cave? I went earlier and even if it’s not the greatest in history of building temples, it’s very interesting.”

Alex chuckled and stood up, leaving the room with Mát. “Food would be great,” he said. “Where can I get some from around here?”

For the remainer of the day they walked around the temple cave. The place was big, but with so few riades around it felt abandoned. They didn’t get any of the riades to tell them why they were there, nor why there were only riades there. It frustrated Alex to no end that they were told several times that they could have asked Nerdies, but he had continued his journey already.

Next morning they decided it was time for them to also continue with their travels. Nobody came to say goodbye, and they left the cave with their things in almost complete silence. When they were walking in the tunnel that led out of the cave, Mát grasped Alex’s hand into his. “I’m glad you came to me before I woke up,” he said quietly. “I don’t know how I would have managed without you.”

Alex covered his eyes with an arm as they stepped out of the cave. He had a wide smile on his face, lit up by the sunrise behind the mountains. “I don’t know how I would have managed if I hadn’t found you,” Alex answered, looking at Mát with a slight concern in his voice. “Because of you living seems worthwile again.”

Mát might have blushed, or maybe it was the warm sunlight on his face. “I’m honoured that I can make you feel like that.”

They looked each other in the eyes, and Alex took a step closer to Mát, now standing right in front of him. A tender smile danced on Mát’s lips as he leaned closer to brush his lips against Alex’s. It was just a short kiss, but it filled Alex’s heart with warmth.

“I think you’re beautiful,” Alex said. “The sunrise suits your eyes.”

Mát seemed to be surprised. “Wha– no, that’s my line!” he said, a smirk tugging the corners of his mouth as they held hands again while starting to descend from the mountain. “I told you first that you’re beautiful, you’re not allowed to say it back!”

“You’re the most beautiful man in the world,” Alex smiled mischievously.

“You can’t say that!” Mát protested. “It can’t be true because beauty isn’t something you can measure like that. And besides, that’s you.”

“No, I think you’re more beautiful. The scars just add up to your attractiveness.”

Mát narrowed his eyes at Alex. “You’re so beautiful that you could be a deity.”

“Stop that,” Alex said, giving Mát a serious look. “We’ve talked about it - don’t call their anger upon you by saying that.”

Mát didn’t say anything, just smiled and stroked Alex’s hand with his thumb.


End file.
